the dead center of town

Our field trip to the mortuary was killer! I called several mortuaries that were close to us. Almost all of them were shocked that I wanted to bring my kids in for a tour, but many of them agreed. We decided to go to a small, local one because they are just the down the street from our house and because it was owned and operated by two females who seemed very excited and accommodating. When I set up the appointment, the funeral director asked, "How much do you want to see?" and I said, "Whatever you'd be willing to show us."

It's against the law for them to show any dead bodies... but they were there, alright. We weren't allowed to see what was inside the big refrigerator (which can comfortably fit up to 6 bodies) or open the lid of a casket sitting in the back room. The kids weren't the LEAST bit freaked out by anything. All in all, it was a totally successful and informative field trip. I took a pic of Cindy filming... behind her is the "big fridge".

We went in hoping to find out how much funeral directors, embalmers, and owners of mortuaries make each year (ballpark salaries) and see their day-to-day responsibilities. But we came out with so much more information. In fact, it was very enlightening. During the tour, we heard about the kind of caskets available and I asked the kids what kind they would like, if they got to choose. Laura, the funeral director, seemed a bit surprised that I would ask such a question. She liked Zack's enthusiasm as he shouted for a RED METAL one (it's all about Iron Man these days.) But then she commended me for being so open and realistic with my children about death. Unfortunately it happens, and many of us are too afraid to talk about it-- which leaves us in a terrible bind when we have to face it. She encourages EVERYONE to talk about death, funeral arrangements, caskets. Those decisions will have to be made eventually, and it's better to talk about it and know what our loved ones want before we have decide during the most emotional time in our lives.

We also learned that bodies are shipped to and from cities on everyday aircrafts. They are boxed up and shipped with the luggage. I had no idea! She said it's SAME DAY service for about $200-$400. The kids found this fascinating, and the day after our field trip, Zack pointed to an airplane in the sky and said, "Hey! A dead body might be on that airplane!" This may be the only bit of information that sticks with my 4 year old..

One of the most interesting things I learned on our excursion was that embalming is bad for the environment. When the blood is removed, it's replaced with a toxic liquid called Formaldehyde. This preserves the body and keeps it from decaying. Many people who choose to have open caskets are embalmed. What we don't hear about is what formaldehyde does to the plants and animals under the ground. It's deadly and toxic. And it's expensive.... so why are we doing it? Tradition. She said that many LDS religions are still doing it, but most other religions have done away with it because it's such an unnecessary ritual. But many funeral homes don't discourage it because they make good $$ on embalming.

I came away thinking that cremation is the way to go! Really... it seems easiest, inexpensive and so logical. I guess Vegas has a very high rate of cremation... I guess people who live here aren't afraid of the heat. I know it's not exactly "encouraged" in our religion, but I want to donate as much of my body as I can and cremate the rest. I am going to sit down and talk with Aaron about it.... we need to discuss where to be buried, etc. So many people have wills in order for after their death, but don't talk about the actual arrangements of their funeral. Why are we so afraid to talk about it?

PS. for those of you who live here in Vegas, I asked if we could come back as a big group and they were more than willing to do another field trip. I thought we could set something up this summer... they said they can accommodate up to 40 people. Let me know if you wanna go... if you don't live here, call around and find a mortuary who will give you a tour.

PPS. Ben was able to tell his famous "Where do mashed potatoes go when they die?" joke and they loved it.. We need to send it into laffy taffy one of these days. Answer: "The Gravy-yard"